A Severe Reprimand for Leaker of R.O.K.-U.S. Free Trade Agreement Bargaining Chips

Published in Segye Ilbo
(South Korea) on 27 October 2010
by Segye Editorial (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Jiyoung Han. Edited by Hoishan Chan.
A highly confidential Korean government document has been leaked, affecting the talks on the ROK-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. The document in question outlines automotive environmental regulations considered to be FTA bargaining chips for Korea. In the course of negotiations, the U.S. government appeared to be informed of even the most minute details of Korean stances and policy actions on such regulations. This pathetic turn of events was reported to the Blue House and is being investigated by the National Intelligence Service. Top South Korean and U.S. trade officials began their meeting Tuesday, Oct. 26 in San Francisco.

For this round of negotiations, the U.S. has been looking to come to a deal on beef and automobile trade. There has been a prospect for a tug-of-war over the issue of how much the Korean government will ease automotive environmental regulations if it refuses to budge any further on beef import regulations. How embarrassing it must have been for negotiators in this situation to know that their entire hand had already been revealed.

The leaked document allegedly contains the details of automobile fuel efficiency and emissions regulations that would be put into effect in 2012, as well as a detailed account of Korean plans for environmental regulations. By 2015, Korea had been planning to enact a mandate that cars be able to travel at least 17 kilometers per liter of fuel and produce no more than 140 grams of emissions per kilometer traveled. Targets for the regulation of imported vehicles had also been specified. Knowing that such regulations are expected to be a big blow for bulky, fuel-inefficient imported cars, the American auto industry can now demand that Korea delay the enactment of these planned policies or even push for an exception through the FTA.

Handing over a government bargaining chip that is so crucial to the national interest is no different from espionage. The exact details of the leak will become better known with further investigation, but this situation is already indicative that there are security problems within the government. It also demonstrates a lack of discipline in the later term of the Lee administration. Those responsible for the leak should be found out and heavily rebuked.

Measures must be put into place to prevent another incident like this. We cannot afford to have important government policies hacked and leaked once again. A comprehensive, government-wide inspection is in order. We must strengthen security training and take supplementary measures to ensure that there are no cracks in the system.


한미 자유무역협정(FTA) 자동차 부문 추가 협상과 관련한 정부의 협상 카드가 담긴 비공개 문건이 미국에 유출된 것으로 알려졌다. 미국과 추가 협상을 진행하다 보니 미측이 자동차 환경규제에 대한 우리 정부의 방침을 소상히 알고 있었다는 것이다. 청와대에 보고됐고 국정원이 진상조사에 나섰다고 한다. 참으로 한심한 작태가 아닐 수 없다. 한미 통상장관회담은 어제부터 미국 샌프란시스코에서 개최되고 있다.

이번 추가 협상에서 미측이 양보를 요구하는 것은 쇠고기와 자동차 분야다. 쇠고기 수입규제 완화는 더 이상 양보할 수 없다는 정부의 의지가 강해 자동차 환경규제를 어느 정도 완화하느냐는 문제로 줄다리기가 벌어질 전망이다. 이런 상황을 감안하면 핵심 전략이 상대방 손에 넘어가 완전히 노출된 형국이니 협상 관계자들이 얼마나 황당했겠는가.

유출 문건에는 2012년부터 시행되는 자동차 연비 및 온실가스 배출량 규제와 관련한 세부 환경규제 방안 등이 담겨 있다고 한다. 2015년까지 연비는 ℓ당 17㎞, 온실가스 배출량은 ㎞당 140g까지 끌어올릴 계획인데, 수입차도 규제 대상에 포함할 계획이다. 이렇게 되면 연비가 떨어지는 덩치 큰 수입차의 타격이 예상되기 때문에 미국 자동차 업계가 적용 시점을 늦추거나 예외조항을 달라며 추가 협상을 요구해온 것이다.

국익이 달린 정부 협상 카드를 상대국에 넘겨준 것은 간첩행위나 다름없다. 자세한 유출 경위는 좀더 조사해봐야 밝혀지겠지만 특정 부처의 문서 보안에 문제가 있었다는 지적이 나오고 있다. 정권 후반기 기강해이 정도를 여실히 보여주는 사건이다. 유출 경로를 밝혀내 관련자를 엄중 문책해야 한다.

재발 방지 대책도 세워야 한다. 정부의 주요 정책이 컴퓨터 해킹을 당하거나 문서가 유출되는 일이 더는 있어선 안 된다. 범정부적인 종합 점검이 필요하다. 보안교육을 강화하고 제도도 빈틈없이 보완해야 한다.
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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